There are moments in history seared into collective memory. Twenty-five years ago, the world was tilted on its axis when terrorists hijacked multiple airliners, destroyed lower Manhattan and murdered 2,977 people. We have never fully recovered.
A close friend lives a few minutes from the Sept. 11 memorial in the Financial District. It is a powerful and painful memorial, deep black holes where the Twin Towers once stood, a literal burial ground, pools no longer reflecting skyscrapers, but unfathomable loss.
On a visit last June, my friend pointed out the fire department across from the towers that immediately responded. I cannot imagine what those firefighters witnessed that morning, how their brains must have struggled to process what was occurring before their eyes.
As we walked past the Greek Orthodox church adjacent to the site, my friend noticed the doors were open. For years the site was empty after the church was totally destroyed in the attacks. It was rebuilt as part of the redevelopment of the entire area, and re-opened only relatively recently.
Its bright white sanctuary filled with frescoes provides a respite from the dark pools. The church is a reminder that life must continue. So, too, the pools’ waters. They reach the nadir, the foundation of the original towers, but continually flow. Water is the source of life — even in this place of death.
Since 2001, I’ve lived through two more “Where were you” moments, July 7, 2005, when suicide bombers attacked London’s public transport system, and Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked civilians on Shabbat Simchat Torah.
On Oct. 7, 2023 itself, Colorado State Rep. Tim Hernandez joined an anti-Israel protest. In 2026, the Democratic candidate for Colorado’s District 1 is endorsed by an influencer who says America deserved 9/11. In less than 25 years, people are ascending into power who believe it is OK to murder innocents because of their government (the definition of terrorism).
Where were Hernandez and Melat Kiros when planes hit the Twin Towers? They were only four or five, so maybe they don’t get it. I make a request of both: Visit the Sept. 11 memorial in New York City. Go there alone, without fanfare. Perhaps it will help you rethink the casual disregard for human life contained in statements like “river to the sea” and “America deserved 9/11.”
© IJN 2026
